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DISCOURSE, -4A-- 



DELIVERED 

AT MEJVDOA'', JUNE 14, 1810^ 

AT THE 

gintettttettt 

OF THE 

HONOURABLE SAMUEL DEXTER, ESQ. 

WHO BIBB JUJVE 10, 1810, 
IN THE 85th yeas. OF HIS AGE. 



BY SAMUEL !:Ti:NDAL, D. D 
J\Xinister a^ ^Veston. 



BOSTON : ^•«-«-4-«»^ 

FROM THE PRESS OF JOHN ELIOT, Ju>r. 

1810. 



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DISCOURSE. 



2 COR. iv. 18. 

THE THIJVGS WHICH ARE SEEJV ARE TEMPORAL; BUT 
THE THINGS WHICH ARE JVOT SEEJV ARE ETERJVAL. 

That body, now mouldering back to its 
original dust, is one among innumerable demonstra- 
tions, that " the things which are seen are temporal.'- 
The proof that " the things which are not seen are 
eternal" is of a different kind. *' Faith is the substance 
of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." 
Walking by this faith of things to come, many have 
passed through life with dignity and usefulness, 
while they desired and sought a better country^ and 
'' looked for a city which hath foundations, whose 
builder and maker is God." Examples of this kind 
command respect, and invite imitation. 

Persuaded that this would be a favourable op- 
portunity to fix in the mind a conviction of the truth 
of the text, our respected friend, who now '' rests 
from his labours," and whose' remains are before us, 
appointed that the words just read should be the theme 
of a discourse at his own funeral. The melancholy 



4 

period has arrived, when, in conformity to the particu- 
lar ^request of the deceased, made to me at a time 
when there was no minister in this place, I am call- 
ed to this solemn service. 



* The following is a letter from Mr. Dexter to the preacher, enclosing an 
extract from his last will. 

" Meiidon, 1806. 
"The Rev. Dr. Kendal. 

"Dear Sir, 

" I THINK it proper that you should have a transcript 
of the article in my will which you read, at my desire, Avhen at Mendon. 
Whether it will be delivered to you before, or after, my decease I know not. 
In this town, at raost funerals, the people go to the meeting house, and a 
minister there prays and preaches. The funeral rites at my decease will be 
performed in the town of my latest residence. When I last saw you I had no 
expectation that a minister would be settled here in the course of my life. It 
has happened that I judged Avrong ; but you being the gentleman originally 
intended, and having been by me requested to officiate, and having signified to 
me your consent ; you are, therefore, the only person who will be thought of. 
I renew my request that you will perform the services either at the time of 
my interment, or on the following Lord's ds.j. The former may be most de- 
sirable, on account of the probability that the largest concourse of people may 
be then assembled. Do that v/hioh shall be most convenient for you ; and may 
the blessing of God succeed at that time, and at all times, your endeavours to 
promote the most important interests of mankind. I pray earnestly, my dear 
Sir, that, through the merits of the Redeemer, we may together participate of 
the divine benignity in every stage of our existence. 

'« SAMUEL DEXTER." 

" Extract fro7n the last -will and t€s.tainent of Samuel Dexter, of JHendon. 

**I give to the minister of the town, district, or parish, where I may be an 
inhabitant at the time of my decease, forty dollars, besides the ring before 
mentioned; desiring that he would, on some Loixl's day, soon afterward, de- 
liver a sermon from those words in the second epistle of Paul to the Corin- 
thians, chap. iv. ver. 18, "The things which ai'e seen are temporal; but the 
things which are not seen are eternal." 

"The truth of the first of these propositions is self-evident ; and the second 
is commonly admitted as trlie, on the authority of revelation ;" yet how few, 
to judge from their genei^al practice in life, appear to be firmly persuaded of 
the reality either of the one or the other ! I wish the preacher to expostulate 
Avith his auditory on the absurdity of their being extremely assiduous to " lay 
up treasures on earth," v/hile they ape indQlent with re:;pect to their well-be- 



In this discourse I must not depart from the known 
intention of the testator, which is to impress upon the 
minds of my respected audience, a serious practical 
behef of the momentous truths contained in the se- 
lected passage. 

If the departed spirits of the just are permitted to 
behold the things which are done on the earth, by pro- 
moting the design of this service we shall conform to 
the benevolence of their nature ; and, if they are 
" ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for thern who 
shall be heirs of salvation," may hope for their benign 
influence on our own condition. But, w^hatever majf 
be the knowledge, activity, or employment of the souls 
of the righteous, in a state of separation from their bod- 



ing hereafter. To those of so blameable a character, and to such as are of a 
still worse, and from their vicious lives appear to be totally regardless of the 
doctrine of a future existence, let him address himself with a pious ardour. 
Let him entreat them to pay a serious attention to their most valuable inter- 
ests. Let him represent " the summit of earthly glory as ineffably despicable 
when comparatively estimated with an exemption from the punishment de- 
nounced, and the possession of the perfect and never ending felicity promised 
in the sacred scriptures;" telling his hearers to imagine they hear one 
FROM THE INVISIBLE WORLD asserting this great truth, that ^'thiugH 
which are eferreaZ" are infinitely more important than "things which ra< 
temporal." It is desired, however, that no mention may be made of me in thi^i 
discourse, save only informing the assembly that it is delivered at my request. 

*' I direct my executors to ask for a copy of the sermon, and, if obtained, to 
get six hundred printed on good paper, with a fair type. Let the author liavr 
an hundred of the pamphlets, to distribute as he shall see fit. Let other ^ 
be given to all such relatives and friends as shall be willing to accept a present 
of so serious a sort ; not omitting any who have formerly lived in my familr. 
nor any who shall have performed kind offices for me in my last sickness, (.r 
after my decease, of what nature soever they may have been." 

" A true copy, 

" SAMUEL DEXTER." 



6 

ies, tlie living feel a high satisfaction in executing the 
known will of a pious friend, who has left these earthly 
abodes, and passed into the invisible world. 

The advice of such a friend is frequently more re- 
garded after his death than while he was living. The 
dying counsel of a parent will, it may be expected, 
meet an obedient ear in children, and make a lasting 
impression upon their minds. Such, my much re- 
spected hearers, after reasonable allowance for the 
misapprehension of the speaker, you will consider the 
sentiments and exhortations oiFered on this affecting 
occasion. The lips of a father are barred by death ; 
but, by appointing this service at his own funeral, 
'^ he being dead 5^et speaketh." 

It will not be thought that I assume too much, 
when it is considered that, by the express request and 
testamentary direction of our departed friend, I stand 
in this place, to urge truths upon your minds, which 
lay with gi'cat >f eight upon his, and induced him to 
pass the time of his sojourning here with godly fear, 
until, as we humbly hope, he was prepared for a state 
of perfect blessedness. But the instrument which 
points out the subject and method of my discourse 
restrains me from attempting to delineate his charac- 
ter. To some abler pen I must leave this work, and 
attend to m-y own appropriate duty. 



The text was doubtless chosen to be the theme of 
a discourse on this solemn occasion in view of its con- 
nexion with the sublime sentiments expressed in this 
part of the epistle. Being thus selected, we infer that 
the deceased was established in the belief of those 
doctrines with which the text stands connected, or 
which are necessarily involved in what the apostle 
advances in connexion with the subject ; and we like- 
wise understand something of the hopes of our depart- 
ed friend, and what were his sentiments respecting 
several important articles of the christian faith. 

By " the things which are seen" all the objects of 
sense are intended, the heavens, the earth, and all its 
inhabitants ; in a particular manner human life with 
its attendant joys and sorrows, pleasures and pains. 
By '^ the things which are not seen" are meant the 
objects of faith revealed in the gospel ; to some of 
which the apostle had a direct reference in the context 
and following chapter. These are future existence, 
and righteous retribution in the life to come. 

The apostle mentions his own trials and suiFerings, 
but is careful to let us know that his faith in things 
not seen supported and enabled him to perform his 
duty with constancy and fidelity. Convinced that the 
evils he endured, or the happiness he might enjoy, in 
this life, must be of short duration, he was not greatly 
depressed by the one, nor elated by the other. His 



8 

firmness and elevation of soul were the result of an 
unshaken belief that the pains of mortality, the sorrows 
of this world, will be succeeded by an eternal and 
infinitely more perfect state of existence. The apostle 
advances the doctrine of the resurrection, and intimates 
that to him it was a source of consolation in all his 
afflictions. Faith in this doctrine involves a belief of 
the immortality of the soul, and, as stated by the apos- 
tle, a conviction that Jesus Christ is proved to be "the 
Son of God with power, by his resurrection from the 
dead," and that he will be to every believer " the 
resurrection and the life." The effects of his faith in 
Christ's resurrection, and consequently in the resur- 
rection of his own body, the apostle thus describes ; 
'^ For which cause we faint not, but though our out- 
ward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day 
by day. For our light affliction, w^hich is but for a 
moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and 
eternal weight of glory ; while we look not at the 
things which are seen, but at the things which are not 
seen." The reason why he had not a supreme regard 
to the things which are seen, but to those which are 
not seen, he assigns in the text. It is because the 
former are temporal^ the latter eternal. 

I. "The things which are seen are temporal." 
They are so in their own nature. They had a be- 
ginning, and time must limit their duration. Eternity 
is not to be ascribed to any object of sense. " The 



sun himself will grow dim with age," the moon cease 
to reflect her borrowed light, the stars, those brilliant 
lamps which the Creator has lighted in the heavens, 
will be extinguished. '' The elements shall melt with 
fervent heat, the earth also, and the works that are 
therein, shall be burnt up. All these things shall be 
dissolved." The material system, which now demon- 
strates the being and attributes of God, is destined to 
ruin, and in time will disappear. Although it may 
remain the same, without any very visible alteration, 
much longer than we continue on the earth, as it has 
done many ages before our entrance into life ; yet its 
existence, like our own in the present state, is tem- 
porary, and hastening to a period. It cannot then be 
the final residence, nor satisfy the pure desires, of an 
immortal soul. 

But, my friends, compared with the duration of 
this system, *' what is your life ? it is even a vapour 
that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth 
away." " Our days are as an hand-breadth, like a 
shadow that declineth." A few revolving suns will 
wind up this busy, mortal scene ! Yet, short as our 
life is, our pleasures and delights, in many instances, 
are less durable. We aspire after happiness, but gain 
little more than the shadow of bliss ; and even this 
abideth not ; it is soon gone, and we are left to 
pursue new objects equally delusive, or temporary. 
In the common condition of man on earth there is 
2 



10 

an alternate succession of joy and sorrow ; or these, 
in many instances, are so blended in the cup of 
life that we scarcely know which preponderates. 
Neither is of long continuance. In both we have 
proof of the instability of all things below the sun. 
Objects of sense attract our attention, direct our pur- 
suit, and make a deep impression on our hearts ; 
but they afford only a momentary satisfaction, which 
is not more perfect than it is durable. So very 
transitory are all earthly things that we scarcely 
realize the possession of them before they are irrecov- 
erably gone from us, and we left to inscribe on every 
fleeting enjoyment, " vanity and vexation of spirit." 
We are ardent in the pursuit of present happiness, and 
imagine that it is within our reach ; but we daily find 
that the objects in which we place our hopes either 
elude our grasp, disappoint our expectation, or, at 
best, afford only a little present gratification. We 
have a variety of enjoyments ; but this variety is 
owing, in no small degree, to the temporary nature of 
the things w^e possess. None of " the things which 
are seen" ever did, or ever will, give complete and 
permanent felicity. If they should be continued in 
our possession, we shall lose our relish for them, and 
our pleasure will of course be diminished. Our taste 
and desires are mutable ; and if surrounding objects 
were to remain the same, with all their properties, 
their effect upon our happiness will vary just as the 
state of the body or mind varies. What at one time 



11 

imparts pleasure, at another excites disgust. The de- 
lights afforded by the objects of sense are even less 
permanent and secure than life itself, which is " a va- 
pour that soon vanisheth away." Short as the passage 
is from the cradle to the grave, we experience a mix- 
ture of pain and sorrow, trouble and distress, in the 
most prosperous condition. But, were worldly plea- 
sures and enjoyments, riches and honours, contrary to 
the testimony of every age, always to attend man in 
this life, without any alloy, how very short the term, 
and small the sum of his happiness from them 1 He 
must soon resign them, and be laid in the dust ; nor 
do they at any period equal the desires of his immortal 
mind. 

The body, upon which many *' bestow more abun- 
dant honour," is ever liable to disease and dissolution. 
The fairest human form cannot resist the ravages of 
time, nor elude the stroke of death. Present health 
and beauty, vigour and activity, are no security against 
the bold demand of the king of terrors. In a very 
short time our bodies will be a lifeless mass, " with- 
out form or comeliness." God changes the counte- 
nance of man^ and sends him, away. If by reason of 
uncommon strength a few rise to fourscore years, and 
even exceed this term ; "yet is their strength labour 
and sorrow ; for it is soon cut off." How immeasura- 
ble soever life may appear in prospect^ in retrospect 
it is but as an hand-breadth. Having ascended to the 



12 

meridian, man quickly descends into '^ the valley of 
the shadow of death," and is mingled with kindred 
earth. Many never rise to the meridian ; they are 
cut down in the morning. The term of life, which is 
short when most extended, is always uncertain. Be- 
yond the passing moment we have no assurance of its 
continuance. How often has the hopeful child, or the 
promising youth, proved a monitor to fond parents, 
and the silent but impressive eloquence of death 
forced conviction upon their minds, that ^' the things 
which are seen are temporal," and uncertain. Every 
thing that relates to the present life is transient. Its 
pains, sorrows, and aiRictions are but for a moment. 
They may be great and pressing ; but they cannot be 
of very long duration. We are here to-day, to-morrow 
we may be gone the way whence we shall not return. 
If not so near at hand, our release cannot be far distant. 
Our days will soon be numbered and finished. Dif- 
ferent periods are assigned to the things which are 
seen ; but none of them abide forever. Their exist- 
ence is limited, and their dissolution certain. The 
grave itself, to which we are all hastening, is temporal ; 
its dominion will be destroyed, and its prisoners re- 
leased. The sea shall give up the dead that are in it, 
and the grave resign all its tenants. Their power and 
triumph will have an end. Although an angel's arm 
cannot save our bodies from the grave, yet legions of 
angels caimot confine them there. They will come 
forth new dressed, 2indi death itself shall be swallowed 
up in victory. 



13 

Man stands in relation to two worlds, and, if wise, 
acts with reference to both. His animal nature is 
allied to the dust of the earth, his spiritual to the an- 
gels in heaven, and to God the parent of angels and 
men. Cbnscious of this dignity, and of his high des- 
tination, he does not confine his hopes to the objects 
of sense, but extends his views beyond the bounda- 
ries of time, and by faith is conversant with " the 
things which are not seen. ' ' These the text informs us, 

11. " Are eternal." 

By " the things which are not seen" are intended^ 
as we before suggested, those objects of faith w^iicii 
have been made the subjects of divine revelation ; 
those in a particular manner to which the apostle had 
reference in the context and following chapter. These 
are the future existence of man, and a righteous retri- 
bution in the life to come. 

The glory and happiness of the saints, and the 
punishment of the wicked, in another world, deeply 
engaged the apostle's thoughts ; and he laboured to 
excite a serious attention to the different conditions 
in which opposite characters will be fixed after this 
life. He says, *' We must all appear before the 
judgment seat of Christ, that every one may receive 
the things done in his body, according to that he 
hath done, whether it be good or bad." The dif- 
ferent conditions of men after death, and whatever 



14 

relates to the happiness or misery of their future ex- 
istence are comprehended among *' the things which 
are not seen." The invisible realities of the eternal 
world, in which we are all deeply interested, are thei e- 
fore the subject of our present meditation. The hap- 
piness promised to the righteous, or the punishment 
threatened to the wicked, will be our portion in that 
world. But these are distinct objects of faith, and 
merit a separate consideration. A just apprehension 
and description of them would rouse the soul to ac- 
tion, that it might gain one, and escape the other. 
But thought will fail fully to compreheiid, and lan- 
guage to describe these objects of faith. " Eye hath 
not seen, nor ear heard, nor hath it entered into the 
heart of man to conceive the things which God hath 
prepared for them that love him." Nor can we have 
adequate conceptions of the " tribulation and anguish" 
which will be " upon every soul that doth evil." But 
both are represented by the boldest figures of speech ; 
and we must take our account of them from the sacred 
oracles, and be satisfied with what they teach, and we 
are able to understand. 

1. Heaven and its glories and blessedness invite 
our attention. The general idea the scriptures con- 
vey of heaven is, that it is a state of purity, rest, peace, 
and joy ; in which the righteous are to be rewarded 
with the highest glory and felicity, of which they ai^e 
made capable when they " are washed, sanctified, and 



15 

justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the 
spirit of our God." The heirs of the kingdom will 
rest from sin and sorrow, fear and anxiety, pain and 
uncertainty ; but never from sentiments and acts of 
devotion to God and the Lamb. In these they will expe- 
rience the purest delight, the noblest elevation of souL 

The righteous will be admitted into the immediate 
presence of God, whose transcendent glory and maj- 
esty will inspire them with equal admiration and love. 
They will then see, not " through a glass darkly, but 
face to face," and adore ail the perfections of his na- 
ture. They will then behold their Redeemer in his 
essential dignity &nd glory as well, as in his ijfiediatorial 
honour and triumph, and feel a transporting sense of 
the grace and love which raised them from the ruins 
of the apostacy, and made them " kings and priests 
unto God." The new Jerusalem above , the city of 
the great King, will be their inheritance. Here they 
will need no temple ; "for the Lord God Almighty 
and the Lamb are the temple of it. And the city has 
no need of the sun, neither of the moon to shine in it, 
for the glory of God doth lighten it, and the Lamb is 
the light thereof." Into this state of uninterrupted 
and never ending bliss the righteous will be admitted, 
after death, with capacities for its pleasures and em- 
ployments. Nothing can mar their enjoyment in the 
world of glory. Their peace and fellowship will be 
perfect, their gratitude pure and sincere, and tlieir 



16 

hearts united in celebrating the praises of God, and in 
admiring the wonders of redeeming grace. 

When the vail of fiesh shall be taken from them 
who are '^ in Christ Jesus, and who walk not after the 
flesh, but after the spirit," an endless succession of 
joy and delight will open to view. Nor do we think 
it unreasonable to believe that there may be, in the 
heavenly world, a progressive improvement of the 
powers of the soul, and proportionable accessions to its 
happiness. New glories may be unveiled, and its 
pleasures become more refined and exalted. Be this 
as it may, the happiness of the saints in the life to 
come will be ineffable and eternal. This and every 
thing connected with it are included in " the things 
which are not seen." But this is not all ; for, though 
the apostle aspired after the glory of the righteous, he 
was not unmindful of the punishment of the wicked. 
We observe therefore, 

2. That hell and its miseries are also intended by 
" the things w^hich are not seen." Amazing contrast ! 
Dreadful alternative ! Into one or the other of these 
states every soul will enter ! The wicked shall go 
away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous 
into life eternal. 

The horror and anguish of the wicked, after this 
life, are as inconceivable as the joy and blessedness of 



17 

the righteous ; but they are represented in the word 
of God by equally strong terms, and bold figures. If 
we take our account of the future condition of the 
unholy and finally impenitent from the scriptures, we 
shall perceive that it needs no colouring. On this sub- 
ject the language of sacred writ is highly descriptive 
and impressive. The extremity and duration of the 
sufferings of the wicked are described under terms 
like these. " The worm dieth not, and the fire is not 
quenched. The smoke of their torment ascendeth 
forever and ever. There shall be wailing and gnash- 
ing of teeth." The representation is, that the place 
" prepared for the devil and his angels" will be the 
habitation of impenitent sinners, " everlasting burn- 
ings" their bed, and the " blackness of darkness" 
their covering. In this state of wo their conscience 
will remind them that their own folly brought them 
into this condemnation^ into this place of torment. 

When they look back into this world, and review 
their mortal life, we may imagine that the recollection 
of abused privileges, offered mercy, and of the earnest 
entreaties of friends, and the counsels and warnings 
of parents and instructers will enhance their wo, and 
sink them deeper in perdition ! Will any say, that 
such punishment of the wicked is altogether imagi- 
nary ? that it is not threatened in the word of God ? 

Pause, my friends, and consider Beware how you 

indulge such thoughts, or rest in such conclusions, 
3 



18 

lest you learn and feel its reality when too late to es- 
cape it. 

That the righteous and the wicked will be treated 
alike in the future world is beyond all rational belief. 
The idea reflects dishonour on the divine government, 
and weakens the motives to piety and virtue. But 
such a notion has no countenance from the word of 
God ; it is the offspring of a disordered mind, or cor- 
rupted heart. " When the Lord Jesus shall be re- 
vealed from heaven with his mighty angels ; when he 
shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be ad- 
mired in all them that believe ; he will take vengeance 
on them that know not God, and obey not the gospel ; 
and they shall be punished with everlasting destruc- 
tion from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory 
of his power." 

In speaking of the happiness of the righteous, and 
of the punishment of the wicked, our object has been 
to call your serious attention to those unseen but 
eternal things, which this service was designed to im- 
press on all our minds. 

IMPROVEMENT. 

1. If it be true, as the apostle asserts, and as our 
departed friend believed, that " the things which are 
seen," our life, pleasures, riches, and honours, yea, 
the world itself, and every object of sense, " are tern- 



19 

poral ;" and if " the things which are not seen," the 
future existence of all human beings, the happiness of 
the righteous, and the punishment of the wicked, '* are 
eternal," what monstrous absurdity and folly do men 
discover in '' being extremely assiduous to latj up 
treasures on the earth,'" while they are regardless of 
the durable riches, and '' indolent in respect to their 
well-being hereafter !" How wretchedly such con- 
duct debases the human character ! Would a wise 
man thus employ his time, thoughts, and faculties ? 
Would he treasure up bubbles when pearls are offer- 
ed ? Would he be satisfied with the shadow of bliss 
when the substance is before him ? In things which 
relate to this life few are so destitute of wisdom ; but 
in those which respect their eternal well-being many 
are even more void of understanding ! How strange 
it is, that beings which possess a rational and immortal 
nature should not aspire after something more perfect 
and permanent than this earth can afford ! *^ What is 
a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and 
lose his own soul ? or what shall a man give in ex- 
change for his soul V In comparison with eternal 
life, the joys of heaven, or the promised rewards of the 
righteous in the world to come, the riches, honours, 
and pleasures of this world are mean and contempti- 
ble ; at best they afford but a mere shadow of happi- 
ness. The bubble of earthly riches and honours, if 
not at the first grasp, will soon burst and expose their 
emptiness and vanity. The shadow of bliss, which 



20 

« 

many pursue with great eagerness, will quickly de- 
cline, and leave those who trust in it as comfortless as 
Jonah under his withered gourd. 

If men really believed the things which have been 
suggested, could they fix their hearts upon earthly 
treasures, and utterly neglect those that are heavenly ? 
Could they choose temporal, and resign their hope of 
eternal felicity ? If their faith gave to those unseen 
realities their just importance, the soul would tremble 
at the thought. It is my duty, on this occasion, to 
represent " the summit of earthly glory as ineffably 
despicable, when comparatively estimated with an ex- 
emption from the punishment denounced, and the 
possession of the perfect and never ending felicity 
promised in the sacred scriptures." But is it possible 
to impress this sentiment upon all your minds ? Can 
any language be adopted that will give it a practical 
influence ? Collect your thoughts, my friends, fix 
their attention to the interesting subject, and " im- 
agine you now hear one FROM THE OTHER WORLD," 
(if you please let it be the spirit that lately animated 
that body) " asserting this great truth, that " things 
which are eternal" are infinitely more important than 
" things which are temporal ;" and, with all the ten- 
derness of friendship, or of parental love, adjuring 
you, in the most solemn manner, to attend to your 
highest interest, to the concerns of eternity ! But what 
effect would such a voice from the invisible world 



21 

produce, even if supposed to be uttered by the de- 
parted spirit of our friend ? If you hear not Moses 
and the prophets, Christ and his apostles, it is to be 
feared you would not be persuaded if one rose from 
the dead. But remember, my fellow probationers for 
eternity, that if you are attached to earthly treasures 
only, or look only at " the things which are seen," 
you will both forfeit the happiness of heaven, and 
treasure up to yourselves wrath against the day of 
wrath. Be entreated, therefore, by every thing that 
is dear, or tender, while you justly estimate, and wisely 
improve the blessings of this life, to pay a supreme 
regard to your everlasting interest, to your future well 
being. You there see, in that body, what will be the 
end of all flesh. Do you believe in man's future ex- 
istence, in the resurrection of the dead, and in a right- 
eous retribution in the life to come ? If you do, act 
under the influence of such a faith, and let the world 
know, by your conduct and conversation, that you are 
passing this stage of your existence in the pursuit, 
hope, and prospect of a crown of unfading glory. Let 
us all learn to live as dying men, that when we die we 
may enter into life eternal, and enjoy that re f which 
remaineth to the people of God. 

2, The subject opens to us a source of consolation 
under present afflictions. It teaches us that these are 
temporal, and that we may receive support from the 
contemplation of those things which are eternal. We 



22 

tearn from it, that ali the evils of this life are ti'ansient, 
and that even the reign of the last enemy, death, is 
limited. To his power and dominion, however 
gloomy the thought, we must all be subject for a 
while ; but the righteous ere long will triumph over 
this king of terrors. Through our Lord Jesus Christ 
victory is decreed to every obedient believer. This 
consideration comforts the sorrowful heart. In an 
assurance that the dead shall arise, we may commit 
our pious friends to the dust with calm resignation to 
the divine will, and even descend ourselves into the 
vale of death with cheerful hope and trust in God. 
Holding in prospect a glorious and happy immortality, 
who would dread a release from the burdens of mor- 
tality ? We may dread the passage, though we long 
to arrive at the haven of rest. '* We that are in this 
tabernacle do groan, being burdened ; not for that we 
would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality 
might be swallowed up of life." In the exercise of a 
lively faith in ** the things which are not seen," and 
in acting with a constant reference to them, may we 
cherish a hope which shall be as an anchor to our 
souls^ sije and steadfast^ cast within the vail, whither 
Jesus our forerunner has for us already entered. Let 
us not be greatly depressed by the thought that we 
are mortal, or that all the objects of sense are temporal. 
Revelation brings to light, and faith as it were realizes 
another life, which will be eternal, and ineffably bles- 
sed. Upon this let us fix our hearts and hopes, and 



23 

endeavour to fortify our minds against the fear of 
temporal evils, and to bear trials and afflictions with 
patience and submission. 

The removal of friends by deaths whether they 
were in the morning or meridian of life, or venerable 
for their age, afflicts the heart, while it adds weight 
and solemnity to the truth of the text, and gives it a 
deeper impression upon the mind. 

The instance of mortality which we now witness, 
though our venerable friend is passing to the grave in 
a good old age, like a shock of corn fully ripe for the 
harvest, teaches us that " all fiesh is as grass, and all 
the glory of man as the flower of grass." 

The speaker would tender to the relatives and 
friends of the deceased his sincere condolence on this 
occasion. He is persuaded they will not doubt the 
reality of his sympathy with them under this dispen- 
sation of heaven. May they enjoy the consolations of 
religion, and follow their father and friend so far as he 
follow^ed Christ. 

My much respected friends, if I were not restrained 
by the express desire of the deceased, it would be 
pleasing to me, perhaps profitable to others, to exhibit 
some traits in his christian character ; but I must for- 
bear. You know his faith, and his manner of life ; 



24 

and therefore cannot sorrow as those who have no hope, 
** For if you believe that Jesus died, and rose again, 
even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring 
with him. For this we say unto you by the word of 
the Lord, that we which are alive, and remain unto the 
coming of the Lord, shall not prevent them which are 
asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from 
heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, 
and with the trump of God ; and the dead in Christ 
shall rise first. Then we which are alive, and remain, 
shall be caught up together in the clouds, to meet the 
Lord in the air ; and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 
Wherefore comfort one another with these words." 

In the full belief that " this corruptible," which is 
now before us, " must put on incorruption, and this 
mortal immortality," arise ^ let us go hence ^ and com- 
mit the body to the dust, there to rest until death 

SHALL BE SWALLOWED UP IN VICTORY. 



AMEN. 



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